Cambodia, Sihanoukville Nearby Attractions
Bokor Hill Station
(See Other Sites Of Interest section)
Islands Close To Sihanoukville
The most popular islands are the nearest ones to the mainland but, although the waters are warm, visibility can often be poor. Nevertheless, the snorkeling isn’t bad around these islands as they have a plentiful supply of rocky reefs with shallow water corals and numerous fish. If you’re into scuba diving, the more distant islands are worth the extra effort to get to as visibility is good and there are one or two shipwrecks to explore. But remember that scuba diving is still in its infancy in Sihanoukville, and the sea around it has yet to be fully explored and the best drive spots identified.
Only 800m from the mainland but its beaches are nothing special.
Around 1 hour away, OK beaches and snorkeling.
Koh Rong Samlem & Koh Kon
Koh Rong Samlem is the best island to head towards on a day trip (takes 2 hours to get there), it has nine decent beaches including some sheltered ones on its north side near to Koh Kon. There are some pretty good reefs around the island harbour sporting a variety of sea life in both shallow and deep water, making it a decent spot for divers and snorkelers alike.
Koh Khteah, Koh Chraloh & Koh Ta Kiev
Good islands for snorkeling. Koh Chraloh is nothing more than a rock but does have quite a bit of coral and fish. Koh Ta Kiev offers some good snorkeling sites of fish and giant mussels.
These islands are situated within Ream National Park. There are boat trips to both islands (offered by the Park and tour operators). Koh Thmei has the most popular beach of the two islands, which is situated on its southwest side.
Koh Tang, Koh Prins & Poulo Wai
These islands are 4 to 8 hours from the mainland and so you’ll have to stay a night at one of them or sleep on the boat. If you do decide to head this far, expect to be rewarded with rocky reefs at depths of 15m to 40m that have far better visibility than the ones closest to the mainland. Not only that, Koh Prins has two shipwrecks located less than 30m down on its northwest side while Koh Tang was the site of a battle between the US and Khmer Rouge forces in 1975, evidence of which can still be found.
Essentially, Kbal Chhay is a collection of 3m to 5m high waterfalls situated on the Prek Tuk Sap River and 30 minutes away from Sihanoukville. It’s not such a great idea to visit the waterfalls in the dry season (November till June) as their almost non-existent during this time. The usual drink and food stands, and covered picnic areas are available. From Sihanoukville, take Route 4 north and turnoff at mile marker 217.
Known as Ream because of its location in the Ream commune, its official name is Preah Sihanouk National Park. The park has now been operational for ten years and covers an expanse of 21,000 hectares (which includes sandy beaches, mangrove forests, the Prek Tuk Sap estuary, offshore reefs, and the islands of Koh Thmei and Koh Ses). Dolphins, hundreds of bird species and many different animals (such as mouse deer and pangolin) can be seen in the park. It is best to arrange a guided tour, as the park isn’t well developed and this isn’t hard to do as you can book a jungle walk or boat trip at the park office (located 23km north of Sihanoukville and 500m off Route 4 on the Airport Road). The office is open from 7AM to 5PM every day (Tel: 012 875 096). English speaking guides are available. Standard set programmes are offered, although the itineraries can be altered to suite individual or group interests. There’s a good chance that your guesthouse in Sihanoukville will be able to arrange transport and tours of the park as well.
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